The Tea Shop
by Modulated
Summary: Here's the sequel to "Archeological Records." This peice is a lot less angst driven and focuses more on Keitaro introducing his new wife to the Hinata Girls, and on one of the secondary characters, Kentaro Sakata. I hope you enjoy and review!
1. Meet Kentaro

After a long day of work, Kentaro Sakata decided to relax. In the small room towards the back of the Hinata Tea Shop, he laid down on his tiny bed and felt underneath for the remote. Finding it, he flipped on his stereo. On of the few vices left to him after his financial ruin, his stereo was one of the few luxuries he now possessed. He massaged his weary temples and let the chilling music sooth his tired muscles.

"What's playing?" Haruka Urashima, his boss, stood leaning in the doorway.

"Brahms," he replied without looking up.

"Rough day?"

"Sort of, I'm not complaining."

"You work yourself pretty hard, Kentaro."

"Maybe that's because you'd beat the crap out of me if I slacked off."

Haruka sat down on the foot of the bed, "you really think so?"

"Let's just say I don't care to find out."

Haruka chuckled lightly, "by the way, Keitaro sent you this letter." She placed the envelope on his stomach and got up.

"Pass me my letter opener before you go?"

"Where is it?"

"In the cup on my desk."

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

As Haruka exited the room, Kentaro slid the tiny blade across the filament of the seal, breaking it. This was no strange occurrence. Through their rivalry over Naru, they had both developed a sort of quasi-friendship, which had only further developed once Keitaro had left the House and both men had lost interest in Naru. Therefore, they occasionally exchanged e-mails or written letters.

Upon reading the letter, a wry smile crossed his face, "well, I'll be damned."

* * *

Keitaro Urashima and his young wife boarded a plane in Maui. He helped her gently into her First class chair, providing the window seat, and flopped down beside her. They had been married a little over six months now, but the ties of the marriage were incredibly strong. The two were quite a couple, Nyamo possessed the strength and durability to endure Keitaro career, and Keitaro had the kindness and caring to make her life one of joy and happiness.

"I'm sorry, Kei-kun, but once more, why are we flying back to Japan?"

Keitaro smiled warmly, "An old friend of mine is graduating from college in a few weeks, and I kind of want you to meet all my old friends. Besides, the vacation will be good for us."

Nyamo was apprehensive about this vacation, certainly she trusted her husband completely, and a part of her really did want to meet his old friends, like most married women, she could barely stand the site of young women near her new husband. She really shouldn't worry about that, since she was only sixteen. That was another thing she felt bad about, lying to Keitaro about her age. Still, she couldn't shake the terrible sense of foreboding that she found herself staring into.

"Trust me you'll like them."

Nyamo managed a weak smile, "Do you think they'll like me?"

"Well, seeing as I love you more than anything in the world, I'd say they'd better!"

Keitaro certainly seemed happy, and so, for the sake of her husband's joy, Nyamo decided to stop worrying about the trip.

* * *

Naru Narusegawa munched her cupped noodles silently, wincing at the sour flavor. Everyone else seemed to have a similar opinion of the dinnertime fair, all except for Kaolla Su, who was now happily dousing her cup of noodles in Tabasco Sauce. Having Shinobu gone for the weekend was rough.

Sara was the first to begin whining. "Why don't we get Kanako to fix us something, she's a decent cook!"

"She said she had some personal business to attend to tonight."

"Well, what about Haruka?"

"Same thing."

"I wish I brought some watermelons," said Mutsumi wistfully, poking at her cup with a chopstick.

"Well, what about Kentaro?" This was Motoko speaking, and everyone looked up

"Keitaro's gone, Motoko," said Kitsune.

"No, not 'Keitaro,' 'Kentaro!'"

"Who?"

"Kentaro! You know, the guy who works for Haruka!" A 'oohhh of realization swept over the table as each girl considered it.

"Bah, there's no way that spoiled rich boy can cook!" spat Naru

"Wait a sec, Naru, didn't he used to cook for you, Motoko when you two were-, Ow!" that was Su, but she was cut off by a swift jab to the ribs by Motoko.

"Wait a minute, what's wrong with the noodles I made?" Naru demanded. The other girls just stared.

"Right," said Kitsune, sardonically, "Then it's settled, lets go down to the tea shop."

* * *

Hearing a scuffling noise by the door, Kentaro looked up from his reading. By the doorway stood the entirety of the Hinata House girls, excluding Shinobu.

Someone elbowed Naru, "Uh, Hi Kentaro, you got anything to eat?"

Kentaro was surprised, but he played it off smoothly, "I think there's a few sandwiches in the fridge over there," he replied, gesturing behind the counter.

"Thanks Kentaro," said Naru in an artificially bright tone. The girls moved quickly to raid the refridgerator and disappeared quickly.

Kentaro sighed and returned to his reading.

**Author's Note**

**Well, Here's the first chapter. I know the pacing's kind of slow and it's pretty short, but there's a lot of important stuff to the storyline so look out!**

**Also, I plan to be updating this fic pretty frequently, so tell me something I don't know and ignore the short chapters in your reviews. **


	2. Keitaro's Back!

Keitaro Urashima and his wife, Nyamo, stood at the base of the stair case leading up to Hinata House. Keitaro smiled and breathed deeply, taking in the smell of the area. He glanced over at wife apprehensively. He could read no real reaction in her face, and it worried him. Not that there was anything really to be impressed with, but we did worry deeply about the happiness of his wife.

"Well, here we are."

"It sure looks good, Kei-kun."

"Yah, my little sister did a good job keeping it up."

"Your little sister?"

"I never told you about her? Impossible!"

"You never did like to talk about your past."

"I guess I never really thought about it very much."

"well, I guess you could tell me now."

"Alright. I have two siblings, my adopted sister Kanako and my biological little brother, Koji. Kanako's about 21 now and Koji's 17. Kanako's the manager of this dormitory, and my brother's in his senior year of high school. He's the real cook of the family, and he helps out a lot at the family bakery. I'll probably just sell him my share of the family bakery, if my parents don't will it straight away to him. He's still living with my folks, so I doubt you'll get to meet him, but Kanako should be here."

"What's she like?"

"Oh, well, she comes off kind of cold to some people, but she actually pretty sweet and loving once she warms up to you. She used to wreak havoc on my poor parents, because she has this uncanny knack for disguising herself. She doesn't do it often these days, I guess she grew out of it. Anyway, I'm sure you'll like her."

"What about the other residents?"

"As far as that goes, I think we'll have to face that little challenge together."

* * *

Kaolla and Sarah sat on the edge of the Hinata House's third floor window paneling, skipping rocks down the wood on the outside.

"Everything's so _boring _here," said Kaolla with a sigh.

"You say that every day since the ronin left."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Well so what? At least he livened things up around here."

"You still have a crush on him after four years, I can hardly believe it."

"So do you!"

"Yuck, Kaolla! He's my dad's assistant!"

"We don't know that, do we?"

"Maybe _you _don't..."

"What? You're dad told you where he is?!"

"Maaaaabye."

"What!?, Oh come on Sara, tell me! Pleeeeaaase???"

"He told me no to mention it, I've probably said to- Holy cow! There he is!"

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"The Ronin, he's back! Look!"

"That's mean Sara."

"No! I'm totally serious!" Kaolla looked blithely out the window. Suddenly, her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and she took off running down the stairs.

"Hey! He's mine! I saw him first!" Sara chased after Kaolla. She grabbed the other girl's blonde/white hair and yanked hard, vaulting herself over Kaolla and into Motoko. Motoko caught the younger girl with surprising reflexes, and held her fast.

"What's going on here?" she demanded, "How many times have I told you girls to stop tearing around the house like this?"

"But Motoko!" cried Sara, "Keitaro's back, he's outside!"

A sudden change came over Motoko, "you girls stay put." She too, began to bolt down the stairs.

"No Way!"

"I saw him first I tell you!"

The three young women, kicked, clawed, punched, and rolled there way down to the front door of Hinata House.

"Uh oh," were the only words Keitaro managed before he was tackled to the ground by the upcoming stampede. Suddenly, he was buried in a dog pile of girls.

"Kei-kun!" came the shrill voice of his wife.

"Hya! I knew Keitaro would come back for us!" That was Kaolla.

"Where yah been, you stupid ronin?" cried Sara.

"Oh, Urashima, I've waited for this for so long," and that, disturbingly enough, was Motoko.

"Uh, guys? You're kind of crushing me." The three girls seemed to jump off of him immediately.

Nyamo helped him up, and he had to bend down and wheeze for a few moments to regain his breath.

"Why'd yah jump on him like that, Dummy? You could've broke him!" teased Sara."

"You jumped on him too!"

"Did not!

"Did –hurupg!" Sarah was stopped short because Keitaro had seized her in a bone-crushing bear hug, lifting her off the ground. He did the same for the other girls, and spinning Kaolla, the lightest, in a circle.

"Why'd ja bring Shinobu with you?" inquired Kaolla.

"Oh, This is my wife-"

"You MARRIED Shinobu???"

"Urashima! How could you go behind us like that?"

"I can cook too, yah know!"

"U.... Urashima-Sempai?" that was the real Shinobu, who had just made her way up the stairs.

"Hello, again, Shinobu."

"Shinobu! Keitaro says he came back to marry you!"

"What??? Ano.. Sempai.. I'm... please... so... happy and.... Confused." A which point Shinobu feinted, but Keitaro caught her deftly, and slung the girl over his shoulder with practiced ease.

"Come on, let's go inside."

"Great, what are we gonna do with two Shinobu's?"

"Twice the cooking! Yay!"

"There better be a very good explanation for all this, Urashima."

Upon entering the house, Keitaro laid Shinobu on the couch gently.

Kaolla tore through the house, announcing Keitaro's return by shouting, "Keitaro's back! Keitaro's back! Kitsune owes me five-hundred yen!"

Soon, there was a loud tumbling down the stairs and a final crash, Kietaro got up to investigate. It was, of course, Kitsune, who, hearing the news, had tumbled down the stairs and into a heap on the landing. Keitaro picked her up with a sigh and she wrapped his hands around his neck.

"Just like old times, eh, Kei-kun?"

"It's good to see, you again, Kitsune." Upon entering the living room, he laid her down upon a chair and stood in the middle, where the Hinata House girls were gathered.

"Well, I suppose I should start with introductions, these are my youngest daughters, Shinobu Maehara, Motoko Aoyama, Kaolla Su, Sara Macdogal, and Konno Mitsune." Each girl bowed with her name, smiling warmly, except for Shinobu, who was still unconscious.

"And these," he said, wrapping his arms around Naru and Mutsumi from the behind and embracing them in a warm embrace, are my two little sisters, Naru Narusegawa and Mutsumi Otohime. They both smiled and leaned into his embrace."

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Nyamo Namo," with this he sat down next to her and pulled her towards him, "My wife."

Every girl's eyes widened greatly, except for Shinobu, who muttered, "Oh, sempai, take me now," in her unconscious daze.

"It's good to finally meet everyone," began Nyamo, "And it's not Namo any more, it's Urashima."

"But... but where have you been?" asked Motoko.

"Well," he said with a sigh, "It all began about four years ago..." He began with his journey to Seta, intentionally leaving out his reasons for departing, and, about a quarter of an hour later, brought them up to speed. Shinobu was awake by now, who was being fanned lazily by Kitsune.

"That still doesn't explain why they looked so much alike," grumbled Kaolla.

"Who?" asked Keitaro.

"Shinobu and the new girl!"

"What are you talking about? Their hair colors are completely different!"

"Oh come on, everyone knows Shinobu dyes her hair..."

"Kaolla! You promised not to tell!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough, where's the rest of the crew?"

"Right behind you, little nephew."

Haruka, Kanako, and Kentaro stood in the doorway, Kanako smiling warmly with her hat tilted low, Haruka holding a cigarette, and Kentaro feigning disinterest.

"Aunt Haruka!" cried Keitaro, embracing her.

She whacked him promptly with the back of her hand, "It's Haruka."

"And my beautiful sister! My, how you've grown!"

"It's wonderful to see you again, older brother."

"How's everything keeping up? Have you seen Koji recently?"

"Everything's fine, brother, Koji's same as ever."

Finally the other shoe dropped.

Kentaro and Keitaro walked silently into the middle of the room, watching each other with an appraising eye and glaring. Slowly, they began to circle each other.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time, ronin."

"Me too, you two-bit dish washer."

Naru watched the two, obviously frightened, and her right shoe tapped nervously on the floor.

The two men watched each other for what seemed like an eternity, and then finally, the both started laughing and embraced each other in a big guy-hug. A cumulative gasp ran around the room, but stopped at Haruka and Kanako.

"So you finally did it, huh?"

"Yup, I sure did!"

"You're finally gonna graduate Tokyo University!"

"WHAT???"

**Author's Note**

**Ok, lots of new background in this chapter, try to keep it all in mind. I'm gonna keep myself to a minimum by only adding one new character, Koji, Keitaro's little brother. Actually, I'm pretty sure he was mentioned once in the manga, but, then again, I don't really know. Anyway, kind of a shocker, Kentaro, A Todai student. Well, at least it makes sense to me. Sorry if he gets kind of OOC, but he really wasn't that much of a developed character anyway, so leave me some wiggle room.**


	3. A Pact

"What???" Now Naru was on her feet, "you mean to tell me that this guy's a Tokyo University student???"

"You didn't know?" asked Keitaro.

"Well, I won't be a student there much longer, I'm graduating this spring."

"But... but that's impossible! That'd have to mean you were a year a head of me..." Naru's voice trailed off weakly and she looked around the room. Apparently, she was the only one surprised by this new development.

"Wait a second, you guys already knew this?" They all nodded.

"We've known ever sisnce Kentaro and Motoko- Mmph!" Kaolla was silenced by Motoko gagging her with a wet rag she happened to have on hand.

"He mentioned it once or twice," continued Motoko.

Naru looked around the room desperately for someone to tell her was just a joke, but then collapsed into an armchair in a defeated manner. There was a uncomfortable silence.

Finally, Kanako coughed, bringing the rooms attention to herself, "Well, big brother, how long will you and your young wife be staying with us?"

"About three weeks, I suppose."

"Well then you can simply not stay anywhere but Hinata House, I must insist."

"I can cede my room," said Hauka, "I'll be off on... 'Business' for the next couple of days. Of course, my room contains a double bed."

"'Double' bed?" murmured Shinobu.

With a malevolent grin on her face, Sara whispered something is Shinobu's ear, and the young girl gasped. Motoko promptly smacked Sara in the arm.

"Come on, I'll show you guys the room," said Kentaro, motioning for the other two to follow him.

Keitaro helped Nyamo to her feet and the three exited the building.

As soon as the three were gone, Kanako stepped into the middle of the room, "Well, I feel now would be a good time to discuss this."

"Discuss what?" inquired Kaolla.

"Keitaro's return, of course."

"What's there to discuss?" asked Motoko, crossing her arms.

"Look , don't play all innocent with me. I know you all were, and most definitely still are, in love with Keitaro."

"So?" this was Naru.

"So, I can only fathom the hair-brained schemes you silly girls have all ready began to cook up in you're adolescent heads. So, I want to make this perfectly clear. My brother is happy now, he's happy with this new woman. In all cases, one way or another, you've all completely blown your chances with him at one point or another."

"That's not true!!!" cried Motoko.

"All the other girls turned to her in surprise.

"What? It's just that... um... I don't care or anything but... ano..."

"Let's review, shall we?" When my brother was at the lowest point in you did nothing but smack, throw, verbally abuse, ignore, intimidate, and generally mess with him. Why in heavens name do you think he would somehow forget all that now that he's on top?"

"He... He said he forgave us..." murmured Motoko softly.

Sighing, Haruka stepped into the middle as well, "Keitaro has forgiven you, Motoko. That's the great thing thing about Keitaro, he could never stay angry at any of us. But you must realize, Keitaro's found someone. He's found someone whom he can rely on and cares for him in an amazing way. Who are we to take that away from him?"

"Well said, Haruka," complimented Kanako. Perhaps what I said was a little to harsh, but I want us all, right now, to promise not to put any moves over on Keitaro. Can we do that?"

The girls nodded.

"I'll begin, I swear not to interfere in Keitaro's love life."

One by one, all of the other girls swore the same.

"Thank you, thank you all. You can go now."

* * *

The next morning, Kentaro stood in the café kitchen, chopping vegetables and stirring them in some rice in a pan.

Someone yawned, and he turned to see Nyamo enter the kitchen, stretching and wearing a tanktop as well as one of Keitaro's white over shirts. Kentaro chuckled lightly and returned to his work.

"Oh! I'm sorry, we could've helped you with breakfast..."

"It's kind of a rule not to stop another man from enjoying, shall we say, the finer points of his marriage."

"Nyamo blushed a bright shade of crimson, "how can I help?"

"If you could just stir that pan, that'd be nice."

"Alright."

"He certainly, is, well, enthusiastic."

"Yeah, he's actually pretty terrific."

"If I could ask, Nyamo..."

"Sure."

"Why'd you marry him?"

She paused for a moment, stirring absently.

"I guess it was because he just seemed so, well, right. We have this kind of connection between us where we can really rely on each other. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

Just then, Keitaro came in to the room, "what is that intoxicating smell, my beautiful wife cooking breakfast?" He came up behind her, wrapping a arm around her midriff and kissing her lightly on the cheek. She giggled happily.

"'Morning, Kentaro."

"How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good, it's a comfortable bed."

"What I've always wondered is why the hell Haruka would need such a spacious frame." All three of them laughed loudly.

"That rice looks about done, Nyamo, thanks a lot."

"Great! Hey, could I borrow my wife for a minute?"

"Be my guest."

"But Kei-kun, we really should help with the cooking..."

"It's ok, I'll hook him up later."

"Really, it's ok Nyamo."

"Quick my love, before he changes his mind!"

Nyamo shrieked as her husband picked her up and held her between her arms. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her back to their bedroom.

Kentaro chuckled lightly once again and scraped the vegetables form the cutting board into the pan.

**Author's Note**

**Sorry about the delay, people. Seems for some reason the decided to shut down my account. They didn't like something in my disclaimer. If anyone knows what I did wrong, please post something in the review section. Oh, and place your bets on how much the girls honor their little pact.**


	4. Motoko's Forgiveness

Urashima Keitaro balanced his old katana, and tried a few practice swings. His sister, Kanako and Motoko watched him with feint interest and growing excitement.

"You guys want to try a few practice rounds?"

The three were standing on the roof of Hinata House. Both of the women had already selected their weapons. Kanako was dressed in a loose black dress and a zip down sweater. Motoko wore a maroon and blue jeans with hair pulled back with a scrunchie. Keitaro wore loose work pants and a plain white half-buttoned shirt that revealed his muscular chest.

"Sure, let's see how much you've improved." Kanako and Motoko began to circle him slowly. Keitaro stood motionless, holding his sword at a slight angle, and closing eyes. Suddenly, the girls flew at him, and attacked him with a flurry blows. Metal sparks flew as Keitaro deflected the easily and whirred about in response to their attacks. Kanako flipped his katana into the roof, and Kietaro transferred the downward momentum into a powerful kick, sending Kanako skidding across the shingles. He whirled to face Motoko, whose blade rushed downward at him. He pushed it away with his opened palm as he extracted his own katana, which he then used to pin the girl's word to the ground.

Kanako was up again, and rushed at his exposed back. Keitaro, unpinning his sword, jumped and flipped backwards over Kanako and leaned the flat of his blade against his shoulder.

"Nice," congratulated Kanako with a smile.

"That... that's amazing..." added Motoko.

Kanako once again flew at him, but Keitaro was fully ready. He easily displaced the attack, sending Kanako's blade flying. Kanako continued forward as the blade flew from her hand, running up Keitaro and landing a solid kick a inch below his neck.

Motoko rushed forward as Keitaro stumbled backwards, but he tripped her with a feet sweep and shifted behind her, holding her blade in a downward pin with his. Motoko stood struggling for a moment, until she realized how close their bodies now were, she stopped struggling, and looked up into Kietaro smiling face. He planted a light kiss on her forehead and backed away.

"I think it's time for a break," said Kietaro cheerfully, "you two sure have been keeping up well."

"You're skills have improved greatly as well, Urashima," complimented Motoko.

"I'll go grab us some water," offered Kanako.

"Thanks, sister, said Kietaro, sitting down on the roof.

Motoko watched the other woman go, and a few moments after she disappeared, Motoko pounced on the young man, knocking him backwards. She pressed a violent kiss to his lips, taking advantage of his surprise.

Kietaro pushed firmly away, and stumbled backwards, "Motoko! What the hell are you doing???"

"I'm...I'm so sorry Kei-kun, I've got to make... I've got to make it up to you."

Keitaro was taken about, "What? What do you mean? What do you have to make up?"

"All those times I.. I was so mean to you, I made fun of you, and hurt you..."

Keitaro sat back down and embraced the girl in a firm side hug, she leaned her head against his chest as she cried, "I can't hold any of that against you, Motoko. I've forgiven you."

"Thank you, Kei-kun, but please..."

"What is it?"

"We only have a few moments, please, have me, have me for these few moments." Once again, she tried to kiss him, but he pressed his fingers to her lips.

"Please, Motoko, there's there's someone else that deserves this so much more than me."

"Someone else?"

* * *

Haitani Masayuki walked home to his apartment after a tough day of school. It was senior year for him, of course, and he was busily preparing himself for the entrance exams into the Tokyo Medical school where he hoped to study. As he boarded the bus and headed for the apartment he shared with his friend Shirai, he found his thoughts drift once again to the mysterious girl with black hair who lived at Hinata House. He had asked many for information about her at his swordsmanship club, but few remembered little except for the brutal beatings she had dealt out at competitions. As He arrived at the apartment complex and entered his tiny room, he slung down his backpack and flexed irritably. Slowly, he began to go through a simple martial arts routine, trying to focus. He had thought of the girl only occasionally, but his thoughts seemed to drift to her more often these days, as if his graduation seemed to hold some importance. He shrugged off the idea. Such hunches were only th misguided products of a tired mind. He laid down on his bed and took a nap.

* * *

Now _this _was an interesting development. Once again, Kentaro Sakata read the note;

Dear Kentaro,

I am writing to tell you that I have eloped with a man. He is a famous archeologist, and we have been seeing each other on and off for a very long time. I want you to know that I have greatly appreciated all of your hard work and companionship throughout your stay. Therefore, if you wish to stay on at the Tea Shop, I am prepared to give you a deal in which you receive seventy five of the shop's total profits. My new husband is quite wealthy, and able to support the both of us, so don't feel bad about the unfair split. After all you're hard work, it's the least I can do. Please e-mail me quickly with your response.

Sincerely,

Haruka

**Author's Note**

**First, to address a few complaints. First of all, this piece is written in English not Japglish, so I took the liberty of replacing the typical "onii-san" with its English counterpart, "brother." It's just something that I feel makes the fan fic more accessible. Another thing is that Keitaro refers to the girls as his daughters and sisters for several reasons. The first being that in typical Asian fashion, female friends are usually referred to as "sister." Or, at least, I think so... The second reason is that in his position of Manager, Keitaro was indeed a father figure to the girls. The third is a purely literary reason, because I am trying to show in this line how Keitaro feels about his relationship with the girls. Kapeesh?**


	5. Doctor

Haitani Masayuki rose from his bed very slowly and rubbed the sleep form his eyes. He stumbled to the kitchen and opened up his refridgerator. As he did so, he noticed an envelope on the nearby countertop. As he picked it up, he saw that his name had been printed with black ink upon it and he instantly recognized Shirai's handwriting. He slipped a butter knife under the seal, and took out a small piece of lined paper with a letter written upon it.

_Dear Haitani,_

_By the time you read this, I'll be gone. I guess I shouldn't leave without telling you why I'm going first, ne? You've been a great friend to me, and I want you to be the first one to know that I've gotten married. I'm sorry for not asking you be the best man and all that. But truthfully, it was kind of well, spontaneous. You remember Haruka, right? Well, we've been dating for a while now, and we decided to keep it really quiet. I'm in love with her, Haitani, so, last night we eloped. I'll try to send you a postcard; we'll be honeymooning for a while. I'll be back eventually, so don't mess with my stuff, ok? I'll try to keep regular with the rent too. Don't worry about me financially. My parents set aside a bunch of stock for me. Oh, and I really do hope to be home for our big graduation._

_Your friend,_

_Shirai_

Haitani stood their for a minute, utterly shocked. Shirai and Haruka? The idea was... vile, to put it kindly. He shook his head, clearing his mind of the thought. At most, this was some sort of volatile prank. He sat down to eat his breakfast.

He arrived at the Tokyo Hospital a couple minutes early that morning. He walked through the door and was greeted by the receptionist, Yumi Harazaki.

"Good morning, Mr. Masayuki," she said with bright enthusiasm.

"Morning, Ms. Harazaki, what's on the docket for today?"

"You're just in time to dealing with a few stitches."

"Going in or out?"

"In, I think," she handed him a manila folder.

"Thanks, I guess I'll go suit up then."

"See you later, Haitani."

"Bye."

As he walked to the dress-out room, he flipped through the folder. It gave simple instructions from his supervisor on putting in stitches. Haitani had done such a task many times before, and ignored the document, placing it on the bench beside him as he ran through the combo on his locker.

He walked in to the sterile office and spotted his fellow intern, Yama.

"Morning, Haitani, you ready?"

"I guess so, patient out?"

"Out cold," he flipped back a part of the sheet, revealing bandaged midsection.

He picked up a pair of surgical scissors and cut away the bandage. Haitani tested the stitching needle against his gloved finger and tapped it lightly against the nearby sink.

"Haitani?"

He merely nodded, stepping over to the side of the patient. As Yama held the split abdomen together, he began stitching. They worked in silence.

"Wonder what the story is, huh?" asked Yama, breaking the silence as Haitani finished up the stitch.

"Probably a martial arts training accident," he answered, not moving his eyes from his precise work.

"How can you tell?"

"The angle of the cut, also the feel of the split of the skin suggests a Ki-strike from a katana."

Yama merely shrugged and peeled the latex gloves from his hands and began rinsing his hands, "she sure is a pretty one, though.

For the first time, Haitani looked at his patient, Yama was right. She was a pretty Japanese girl of about twenty. Her hair was a stark black against her comparatively pale skin. There was an odd memory of her features, and Haitani concentrated hard, trying to remember where he had seen her before. As he realized, he have a grin and breathed a silent curse.

* * *

Awaking from a violent nightmare, Motoko Aoyoma sat up suddenly with a scream. She looked fearfully around the room where she was, feeling a cold sweat. The room was dark, and she felt a terrible pain in her abdomen.

A shadowy figure came beside her, and, laying a hand on her shoulder, eased her back to the mattress. She breathed slowly, calming herself.

"Easy there, Aoyoma," spoke the silhouette with a man's voice.

"Who are you?" she inquired calmly, although her voice shook slightly with fear.

"I'm Dr. Masayuki; you're in the east Tokyo Hospital. It looks like you took a Katana to the stomach." Motoko grimaced, remembering the training session gone awry.

"Did you sow me up?"

"Yeah, you should be fine in a couple hours."

"Thanks, I guess."

"It's what I do."

Motoko sighed, letting her eyes slowly adjust to the darkness.

"What time is it?"

The man checked a light up watch, "about one-thirty in the morning. You should probably try to get some more sleep. It helps the healing."

"I'm not tired, I'd much rather do drills or something."

"You're not in much of a position for martial arts, so it's either you go back to sleep, or you enjoy the scintillating conversation I can provide."

Motoko paused, as if considering the question, "Flip the light on."

Haitani flipped on the light, and turned to face Motoko. He sat down at her bedside with a wry smile on his face.

Motoko looked around once again. The doctor was a young man, not much older than herself. He was certainly handsome, but there was something about his features he couldn't seem to place.

"Have we met before?" she inquired quizzically.

"I'm a friend of Keitaro Urashima's."

"Oh right! You were that jerk who asked my underage friends out to a Karaoke bar."

"That- that was a long time ago."

"I suppose you've changed since that amazing example of your charm?"

"I like to learn from my mistakes."

"That's always the first step.

**Author's Note**

**That's right! It's Shirai x Haruka! Bet you guys didn't see that one coming, didja??? Well, the story really was getting a little too predictable... Stay tuned folks, sorry for the long delays, but school has started now so I don't have as much time as I would like to. **


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